Vermont teenager teaches 1,000th person CPR

By watching Williston High School student Tommy Watson teach a roomful of middle school campers how to perform CPR, you can tell he's done this before.

The Vermont teenager has been teaching the hands-only method since 2011. Now at 15-years-old, he's reached a mileston.

"When I first started my mission of training 100 people, I never would've seen this day coming of training numer 1,000," said Watson.

His crusade started after seeing an elderly man suffer a sudden heart attack at a soccer game Watson was at. Only one person out of a crowd of 100 knew CPR, and that's when he got inspired.

"Since then, it's just been a snowball that's been growing and growing. He's found his voice and he's found his passion," said his mom, Julie Watson.

Since then, Tommy has paired with the American Heart Association and has been doing more than just teaching. Last year, he testified at the State House, helping to create a law that makes sure every Vermont high school student learns CPR in health class.

He also has been named the 2013 American Heart Association's youth advocate of the year.

His next goal is to train 2,000 to 3,000 more people to perform CPR by the time he graduates high school.

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